Thursday, August 27, 2009

Those crazy kids are at it again

Those Crazy Fools are at it again. For the fifth year, local band The Crazy Fools have put together a musical bash you don't have to travel miles to enjoy. It's Landstock and it's right in their Whitestown backyard - literally. So head down to 5030 Bell Road from noon to midnight Saturday for music, beer, food and a crazy good time. It'll cost ya 20 bucks. Besides beer and food, here's what else you'll get for your Andrew Jackson:

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Soul, funk, jazz, Motown all in one place? Yup

As promised, I've been exploring Utica Music and Arts Fest bands coming to our town Sept. 10-12. It's almost overwhelming how many amazing bands out of the 250 scheduled that have made it to this lineup. The sounds and styles of these groups are like nothing we've heard in our area, nor are they anything like you've heard on the radio. And that's a good thing.

Here's a look at one of my favorites so far - Winslow. They're an Ohio-based band who have gotten a good deal of attention from old-school Motown executives as well as high-profile acts such as O.A.R. Their sound is almost indescribable - a cross between old-school funk, contemporary jazz and soul.

Local boys vie for state music title

Can I get a yee-haw? (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) Local country boys Southern Grace have sung their way to round two of the Colgate Country Showdown - a national talent competition searching for America's next country superstars.

The band will compete for the state title at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, at the Mohegan Sun Grandstand at the New York State Fair.

Whether you like country music or not, these guys are a super good time - on and off the stage. They're talented, too, so head out to the fair and tip your hat to the boys and show 'em a little Mohawk Valley love. If they take the state title, they'll travel to Nashville for the national competition, hosted by LeAnn Rimes.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Clinton brims with music, art

One of my favorite local summer events is the Clinton Art and Music Festival. This year, it's Saturday, Aug. 29. It features dozens of local, national and regional bands performing for free at seven locations in the village of Clinton. Besides a great music lineup of various genres, you'll be able to shop the adorable boutiques in Clinton as well as view local artists' works showcased throughout the area. You don't want to miss any of this. It starts at 10 a.m. Here's a schedule of the performances:

PHOTO ABOVE: MICHAEL LAPOLLA / Observer-DispatchJim Hyde, of Clinton, sings a Neil Young song on the side of the road while hanging out at the Clinton Art and Music Festival, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008, in Clinton.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Carbonated music

OK, so you have to check out this remix of the Utica Club song by local DJ Thomas D. He spins regularly at Space 26, and his spins are tight, but really Thomas D mixing beer and music is pure genius. Enjoy!

A little bit from one of our own

A little bit country

Here's another Utica Music and Arts Fest band scheduled to perform. In their bio, the Red Haired Strangers describe their music as "original music that contains hints of delta blues, country, bluegrass and Americana influences."

Funk coming to your town

For this week's Fusion, I interviewed Albany band Ill Funk Ensemble. The live hip-hop, R&B band will perform at the Utica Music and Arts Fest Sept. 10-12.

Here's what guitarist BJ Fitzgerald said in anticipation of the festival:

"This is the first time we’re going to a full out music festival … . As I followed the direction the festival was going, I really liked what I was seeing. It wasn’t the typical stuff. I said, ‘Wow, that’s going on in Utica?’ … . I know the area pretty well, and I was excited to know the town is being taken over by bands for three days. I don’t know any places that do that, and I don’t know any town that supports that. It doesn’t happen up this way ever. It excites the crap out of me.”

Check out Fusion Thursday to see what Fitzgerald said about playing hip-hop live and the obstacles that come with it.

Angel to perform at UMAF

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Gear up for the Utica Music and Arts Fest

So, Mohawk Valley, I cannot let you get away with not knowing about this event. The Utica Music and Arts Fest. It's a month away (Sept. 10-12) and in its second year, the three-day music festival will feature 250 bands and musicians from all over the country performing in 21 Utica venues.

If this year's festival is anything like last year's, it will be the can't-miss event of the year. In fact, organizers Joe Sweet and Anthony Donaldson say this year will be better than last year with more music, more venues and more events, including a tattoo convention and Utica Greens Fest (check out Fusion Thursday for all the details on those events and other new stuff).

Until the fest, I'll be highlighting the bands scheduled to perform here on my blog and in Fusion. I'm going to pack as many bands in to give you a taste of how much quality music is going to be filling our city for three days.

Check out this blues/funk band from New Jersey, Kimon and the Prophets.

Come back for more. I'll be updating several times a week with UMAF-related stuff.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Stumble into music

I'm a big fan of StumbleUpon, a super great time waster that stumbles through the Web finding all kinds of interesting stuff - bizarre, funny, hip, informative - on your choice of topic - art, fitness, funny, music. So, lately I've been stumbling through the music topic and came upon these sites that I think some of you might appreciate:

8tracks.com: Create, share or listen to others' playlists. They're short (8 tracks) and cover a range of topics and have the potential to expose you to music you've never heard before. You can also search lists by genre. entertonement.com: Sound clips, sound bites and collections of sounds related to various topics, including hangovers, Transformers and video games. citysounds.fm: The site allows you to listen to latest music from city's around the world. Just click a city and listen. thevirtualpiano.com: Play the piano with a few clicks of your mouse. songza.com: This site allows you to listen to, share and add thousands of songs and paired videos to social networking sites, blogs or phones.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Samantha Ronson is back - again

For those of you who were waiting for Samantha Ronson to appear at Turning Stone's Lava last Saturday, you already know - she never showed.

Good news is she's re-scheduled for Friday, Aug. 28, and the Casino promises she'll be there this time. Even better news is the club is offering these special treats to make up for the missing Ronson:

- Free admission for everyone who attended Aug. 2 with a Friday free admission pass. - Members will be admitted free before 11 p.m. - Ladies only will be admitted from 9 to 10 p.m, and they'll be treated with open bar. - Everyone who comes in between 10 p.m. and midnight receives two for one drinks.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Rome program has Moore

Some of you may not know about this all-star recording project that has been happening in Rome through theYMCA Center for the Creative Arts, an after-school program of the YMCA of the Greater Tri-Valley.

Since 2003, the program has allowed students to collaborate with dozens of renowned musicians, including Brian O'Neal of The Bus Boys (known for the 1980s song "Boys Are Back in Town"), Denise Morgan of the Marvelettes, Jennifer Warnes, Bill Medley and a host of New Orleans jazz musicians.

Melba Moore recently agreed to add her touch to the project by lending her vocals to "Collaborations III: Hope." She will record with the group Aug. 20.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Matt Peters rocks for the win

Looks like your comments were heard.

Matt Peters' commercial for K-Rockathon 14 is the winner in the Utica submissions. The winning commercial earned Peters, of Frankfort, $1,000 and on-stage seats at the festival. The commercial will air leading up to the festival this Saturday.

Visit www.krockathon.com to see all of the submissions. Scroll down to view the winning commercial.